


Wherever I Go

by cuppalou



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bakery, M/M, Masturbation, and fluff, baker! louis, but it's like three sentences, everything takes place in the midwest pretty much, journalist! harry, low key pining, niall is a food critic, so they're all american, zayn and liam run a farm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-07
Updated: 2017-08-07
Packaged: 2018-12-11 02:56:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11705346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cuppalou/pseuds/cuppalou
Summary: This slight inconvenience appeared in the form of a human body.This body just so happened to have the nicest smile, bounciest curls, and most green eyes he'd ever seen. Louis' not a stranger to attraction but something about this boy off put him enough that he had stumbled around the back of the kitchen for roughly three minutes before his brain decided to function properly.It wasn't just your average every day 'oh this boy is cute wow, nice!' kind of ordeal. It was a 'holy shit I might have accidentally made a deal with the devil in my sleep and forgot because what the fuck this man can not be real... he simply can't'.∞∞∞Louis owns a bakery in a small midwestern town, Harry is looking for a new adventure, and Zayn, Liam, and Niall just want what's best for their friends. If what's best is them falling in love, then so be it





	Wherever I Go

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is only my second completed fic ever, wow. The idea came from this prompt: 
> 
> Bakery au: where Louis owns a tiny little bakery in a tiny little town that everyone loves and everyone knows everyone. And then, one day some long haired tattooed hipster (h) moves to town and applies at said bakery. They fall in love slowly, like really slowly. To the point that Liam and Zayn and Niall are all just going 'ffs, date already'. 
> 
> I strayed off the prompt quite a bit, so I apologize for that! I hope whoever sent it in enjoys it regardless! This fic is a bit of a mess, and it's far from my best work but it was a brand new experience for me and I had a lot of fun. I tried my best to depict the characters in a way that made sense to me. The scenes were written out of order and weren't edited at all until I was finished. This process was difficult for me but extremely vital in my growth as a writer. Special thanks to the mods for being patient with me and doing a wonderful job with the organization. This is un-betaed so all the mistakes are my own. Feel free to *politely* give me corrections! Comments and kudos are always appreciated!

As all crazy things in Harry's life play out; this one is no different. The idea comes from Niall.

"Dude, you need to get out of New York." Niall mentions offhandedly on a random night in.

“And do what, Ni? I'm already living the dream." The two of them worked for magazines in the heart of Manhattan. Harry was a journalist who wrote about music and Niall was a food critic. The building they worked in seemed to go on for miles and Harry couldn't help but wonder how they got themselves into this position.

They both attended NYU. They were always city boys and understood how the business worked. But so were a lot of other kids.

"I think you should try and write about something other than shitty concerts you attended." Harry has long since stopped getting offended at Niall's lack of respect for his choice in columns.

"And what do you suggest Ni?" Niall hums and scratches his chin as if he doesn't understand that Harry knows he's already thought this all through as he's mentioning it.

"I saw a position open up yesterday."

"Okay..."

"It sounded like something I think you should try." There's a reason that Niall says 'should try' and not 'will like'. He knows that Harry is most likely not going to be one hundred percent into whatever job Niall has found him, but as his best friend, Niall also believes he knows what's best for Harry. Wild. As if Harry would trust Niall with his life decisions (he completely does but Niall doesn't need to know that.)

"It's a travel job." Harry pauses. He knows jack shit about travel.

"Niall I know jack shit about travel."

"Which is why I think you should do it. So you can learn. When was the last time you left the city? And don't say Jersey... that doesn't count. "

Harry frowns. He hasn't really done a lot of traveling since he was young and his parents wanted to expose him to the world. They all got older and things got expensive and honestly, he kind of forgot.

"And what would this travel job entail?"

"I was hoping you'd ask..." Niall goes into detail about how he read the flyer as he was on his way to the break room the previous afternoon so he contacted the woman in charge of the position and got extensive details on travel accommodations, requirements for the position, and what he would be writing about. It sounded really cool. The task was to find the "Hidden Gems Of The Midwest" and he had nearly four whole months to complete the list of 75 things that he believed were worth sharing. It sounded great, but...

"Do you really want to get rid of me so easily Horan? I thought we were friends. I LOVED YOU!" Harry's always loved dramatics.

"No, but I think you need it."

"You really think she'll give the job to someone unexperienced?"

"I think I can convince her."

"Do I still get to keep our job here? After I mean..."

"Um. I bet if you really wanted to you could. But something tells me that you're going to want a change of scenery after this summer."

"If."

"What?"

"If this works out you mean?"

"Whatever helps you sleep at night curly."

∞∞∞

The brightness of the morning sunrise reflects off the window pane and shines beams in every direction. This is his favorite way to wake up. Baby Honey has been his pride and joy for the last two years and he wouldn't trade the early mornings and late afternoons for anything. It started off as a joke. One day Louis woke up and thought...man my life needs something new. Something fresh. How about I open up a bakery? His mom and siblings projected brilliant smiles in the direction of his heart after he mentioned it on a whim one Sunday afternoon. He stood no chance against the beautiful faces of the six girls and one little boy he calls family.

The first few months were rough. Louis had always been the type of person to sleep in until he couldn't find it in himself to go back to sleep any longer. He's never much enjoyed the idea of waking up at 4 AM to bake bread, let alone bake bread that he can't even eat. But somehow it stuck and now he can't imagine himself doing anything else.

It's 6:17 AM and Louis has just finished baking some blueberry tarts that he's planning to have a special on today. They smell absolutely delectable. He can't be blamed if he sneaks one or two and chews them up as if they were made of gold. Delicate and flaky and worth every single calorie.

He's never been one to watch his weight, but he is the type of person who enjoys eating locally sourced foods. He likes to know it came from somewhere with pure intentions. When he got Baby Honey up and running his main priority was to make things with ingredients that he believed in. He loves to support people who are passionate and work hard. All of his suppliers meet his criteria well. They're also some of Louis' best friends... lovely how that works out.

Zayn and Liam are by far his favorite. They both live out on a farm a few miles from town and they provide him with all of the fruit for his products. They're also probably the cutest couple Louis has ever seen. They're also incredibly brave, especially considering the fact that they're the only out couple this town has ever seen.

Freymont is a very small conservative town. It's to be expected. Louis doesn't like it... but he’s comfortable here in his bakery.  Big cities are all chaotic movement and never ending volume of noise that seems to thread the city together. It's what makes the expanse of so many miles and millions of people feel like a singular unit. A family of diverse parts that come from the same place.

Zayn and Liam argue that Louis isn't meant for small town life. They remind him that he's not anchored down to the city. Louis can leave anytime he likes. He appreciates their presence and support more than words can explain. They also like to get on his case about dating.

“There's a gay club about 45 miles away and that's just a short ride to you getting laid.” Zayn had nudged him and raised his eyebrows suggestively on an evening a few months ago.

Louis', not that interested though. He’s plenty happy opening and closing his shop and interacting with the people he loves. His family lives a few blocks away and Zayn and Liam a few miles... what more could he possibly need? Louis thinks that may be hard to understand when you've been in a relationship for 6 years. Surely at some point it becomes difficult to remember what life was like without that person. Even Louis hardly remembers life without Liam, so Zayn's defintely worse off.

Zayn and Louis were barely 17 when Liam Payne arrived. In Freymont, it was always exciting when new people moved in because it rarely happened. Everyone who was here stayed where they were and everyone who wasn't stayed out. It was a rather simple system. But Liam Payne showed up out of nowhere their junior year and tipped the world on its axis. He was from near Los Angeles and he knew things. Things that small town boys never get the opportunity to learn.

He had lived his life in a beach town full of people who simply loved people. Louis and Zayn were fascinated. They immediately took Liam under their wing and showed him the ropes. They taught Liam what he can and can't do in a town like theirs and in exchange, Liam opened their eyes to a whole new world.

It's not as if they had been incompetent.

They knew what being gay was, understood that racism was shitty, and that people around them die of starvation. They knew. But Liam had seen these things. Had experienced them outside of the bubble that Zayn and Louis were raised in. They never realized how disgusting the people they knew could be until Liam showed them. And so they clung... hoping that someone as fascinating and wonderful as the tanned boy from a foreign city wouldn't get bored of the small town kids with no experience of what the outside world was like.

Liam, as fate would have it, found the pair to be equally interesting and he was more than happy to be friends with them. Their senior year absolutely breezed by and in the process, Zayn fell for Liam. Liam fell as well. For a little while, it was annoying because Louis was 17 and single and it seemed like everyone was dating someone except him. Which of course made him sad.

So, he dated a sweet girl named Lila for a while until he discovered that he and Lila would never be a Liam and Zayn. They broke up, and everything was good except for the small minor detail that Louis really wanted to be dating someone. He also wanted it to mean something. The combination of the two seemed to be out of reach for the time being.

He watched Zayn and Liam fall in love and it grew on him. Made him feel nice and warm and safe up until he started to pay attention to everyone else. He saw the way others looked at the couple. Saw the dirty glances and the rolling eyes. He saw the teachers split them apart in class just so they could make them squirm individually. People were _awful_. Liam and Zayn would come home with small frowns that were only visible in their eyes and a lack of purpose in their movements. Louis wondered if it had always been like this. If maybe he didn't see it because he was too busy caring about himself to notice that his best friends weren't just the perfect couple he imagined them to be. The fact that they were wonderful and so deserving of love remained irrelevant in the eyes of the public.

When everyone would go to church on Sunday's, Liam would stay home with Zayn. And eventually, Louis stayed home too. Believing in God lost its sparkly touch when Louis realized that there was no space in their church for Zayn and Liam. As soon as they left the people in the church filled the hole so thoroughly that there was no going back. They weren't wanted. And Louis felt pretty unwanted too.

As they applied for colleges they looked for an escape. New York City, Orlando, Seattle, London... anything to get away from the people that made them feel like outcasts in the place they called home. However, the price was unrealistic for Zayn and Louis, and Liam wouldn't do anything without his favorite people by his side. So they stayed. They all just stayed.

As the sun tucks itself underneath a cloud at 6:19 AM Louis begins to wonder if maybe it's not too late. If maybe the right time they had been waiting for is now. The more he ponders over the possibilities the more time passes. When the clock hands display that it is now 7:00 AM, Louis opens up the shop and thinks that... yeah. He just needs to figure out how.

∞∞∞

Harry wakes up in a town that has a name he can’t pronounce. He’s not sure what people in the Midwest spend their time doing, because so far he’s seen bars that look like they’re designed for old lonely white men and so much corn he could drown in it. He’s supposed to find 75 things that are worthwhile here? No wonder no one else took this job.

He’s sitting on a hotel bed scanning over the room service menu trying to find something that isn’t scrambled or covered in sugar. He’s not having much luck.  He’s staying in the cleanest hotel he could find in the area but it’s still extremely lacking in amenities and sightseeing opportunities. When he calls down and orders bacon and toast he also asks what’s popular to do near here. The man rattles off a few campgrounds, a mall, a pool, and a lake that are within a twenty-mile radius. Harry thinks he’ll probably check out the mall; only because he might feel a little less out of place there. Once his breakfast arrives and he eats it he sets out to find said destination.

Public transportation doesn’t exist here. At least not as far as Harry can tell. He’s seen a few stray public buses but they’re rare and he has no idea where he wants to go. Harry is fortunate he has plenty of driving experience from going to Jersey in the summers with his family or he wouldn’t even know what to do with himself. He’s also fortunate that this job provides him with a car. When Harry types the name of the mall in his phone he gets directions and sets off in hope that he can at least find a decent store to visit. When Harry reaches the exit door he’s hit by a wave of heat. The chill of the air conditioning which left him feeling comfortable and pleasant is immediately replaced by the sensation of sticky nearly tangible air.  It’s only a little after 10:00 AM and he’s almost positive the temperature is nowhere near its peak for the day.

Harry strides on towards his car in hopes to find a safe haven from the stifling humidity. Unfortunately, he forgot the fact that when you drive your own car the a/c doesn’t kick in until after you’re inside. He’s pretty sure his body might start on fire if the weather doesn’t decide to become bearable. He drives off in hopes that the mall is easy to get to. Along the way, he stops at a rickety old gas station to grab a snack and some water. At the register, Harry notices an ad for a place called Wally’s Wonderful World of Water. It intrigues him; partially because their slogan is ‘Get Wet’ and partially because the sweat on his body feels like a second skin. Who knew the Midwest gets so warm during the summer? Harry naively just assumed it was always chilly.

Cold water and ice cream cones sound far too good to pass up, so he changes his course for the day and chooses to make his way to the waterpark instead of the mall. Maybe this will be enough of a ‘gem’ to add to his list.

∞∞∞

Wally's Wonderful World of Water is not what he expected it to be. The small pool filled to the brim with toddlers and toys is all that he can see and he decidedly will not fit in with them. He pauses momentarily to try and understand how he managed to miss the fact that this was a pool for children and not a water park.

There’s a large building to the side of the small pool that appears to sell admission tickets and ice cream. Harry figures it’s worth something to at least find out if this place really is just for kids under 5 or if he’s missing something.  He parks his rental and walks over towards the counter.

“Hi. I was wondering…” Harry mutters before being cut off.

“Are you looking for the water park?” A short guy no older than sixteen questions. Harry raises his eyebrows in surprise.

“Um… yeah” Harry is extremely confused as to how this kid would know that.

“It’s down that sidewalk” the boy gestures “to the left. Don’t worry, we get this all the time.” Harry doesn’t understand what he means at first, but then it processes in his brain and he doesn’t feel so bad. He means lots of people make this mistake and he shouldn’t feel stupid. Harry nods and gives a friendly wave before walking towards the sound of rushing water and faint screams. 

The path is shaded in by a variety of towering deciduous trees. Smudges of worn off chalk litter the concrete. There’s drawings of sunshine as well as stick figures with heads larger than their bodies. It’s colorful and bright and it makes Harry’s heart feel warm. He can picture families and friends gathering in this park for a picnic and the little ones becoming restless and getting distracted by a rainbow of drawing utensils that don’t require paper. The art is messy and unfiltered. Scribbles of blue blend with zig zags of red in a way that doesn’t make sense but it looks beautiful. It’s abstract. The work of children is on display for everyone to see, almost like an art museum. Looking at the ground makes him feel calm; less out of place.

Harry can relate to the mess. Imperfections of accidental coloring outside of the lines. The striking difference between what is always there and what is temporary. Harry is temporary. The chalk in temporary. Individually they don’t quite have a place where they can burrow and belong. It’s easy for them to get washed away, but together he doesn’t feel like he stands out like a sore thumb. The pink tiaras and green clouds remind him that everything isn’t immutable. Giraffes can be purple. Harry can come to a new place and not feel like he’s drowning.

Harry looks up. The sun is blocked out by long branches and thick leaves. This place is very different from the city. In the city, there are blends of cultures and blaring sirens. High heels constantly click and clack and it’s impossible to enter a Starbucks without seeing men in suits. Here, though. Here is peaceful. Here the night sky is filled to the brim with stars and it’s hard to find a building that surpasses four stories. Everything drips slowly like maple syrup. The city is a car on the track of the Indy 500 and this place is a minivan that contains a birthday party of kids. It’s chaotic in a temporal fashion.

As he draws closer to the waterpark the scent of chlorine and sunscreen filter out making everything smell like summer. There’s resounding laughter, screaming, and groaning from children that probably don’t want to get out of the water but have been told they have to. It’s then that he sees it. Through the trees in a large clearing bright rays of sunshine illuminate large waterslides and a plethora of people.

Everything is fluorescent orange and neon blue. Everybody on the premise is in various states of undress and sunglasses adorn the faces of nearly every adult. Harry purchases an admission ticket and sets out to cool off. Harry finds a lounge chair to set down his things when someone approaches him.

“Hi.” A peppy man bounces on his feet and smiles from ear to ear. Harry wonders what’s got him in such a fantastic mood.

“Hello?”

“I’m Liam! And this…” The man yanks on the arm of another who appears to be a similar age to him. “Is Zayn. Who are you?”

“Um… I’m Harry.” Liam grins.

“Zaynie, dear. Isn’t Harry here the cutest?” Liam smirks wide with a hint of mischief like he’s not actually talking about Harry’s level of attractiveness but rather something else entirely. Zayn’s eyes scan over Harry as he seemingly takes a moment to deliberate.

“Are you from around here?” Zayn ignores Liam’s question altogether.

“No… no, I’m from New York.” Zayn and Liam glance at each other then back at Harry.

“What brought you here?” They both look puzzled. Harry is curious as to why they’re talking to him in the first place.

“Uh, I’m a journalist… I’m working on a project.”

“A journalist… you hear that Zayn? A journalist.” Liam raises his eyebrows suggestively. Why? Harry has no fucking clue. These two are extremely strange and he really wants to get in the pool right about now.

“Um, yeah. I’m just going to…” Harry gestured with his thumb towards the wave pool. “go.”

“Oh! Yes, of course. Sorry to hold you up. If you’re planning on sticking around you should check out this bakery nearby, it’s amazing.” Liam and Zayn smile simultaneously. Harry sighs. If this is what it takes to make these men go away he can handle that. It’s not like Harry actually has to go.

“Yeah? What’s it called?”

“Baby Honey.” And with that Harry thanks them, waves, and walks away into the pleasantly refreshing water.

∞∞∞

Harry’s stomach has been disrupting his sing along session for over an hour now. It was easy to ignore at first when he was speeding off down a freeway and the volume of the motor combined with the music could easily overpower the small grumbles that emitted from inside him. But after roughly thirty minutes of aimless wandering, he read a sign that told him a town called Cloverfield was to the right and it intrigued him enough to turn and change up his pace. Cloverfield ended up being more of a disappointment than anything else so he continued on his journey towards whatever would catch his attention next.

The only captivating thing Harry has discovered thus far is his hunger. The decision to stop at the next available place that appealed to him was simple. He crossed over train tracks and took a left turn at a t intersection that looked like it had the possibility to lead to a more populated area. He passes through a town that only holds 48 people according to the sign, one that only has a small Dairy Queen with no drive through, and a town that states it has the “best brew in the southwestern corner of the state”. Harry’s not sure what it’s a brew of… probably something in a cauldron in an abandoned barn which hosted species of creatures he’d never like to meet. Even his stomach seems to nod in agreement when he chooses to pass up that meal.

He’s about to give up and accept what a gas station has to offer as his breakfast when he finds himself entering Freymont. It’s another seemingly worthless town that offers nothing aside from greasy burgers and a sugary excuse for coffee. His car is rolling towards the city limits sign when he spots a lemon and lavender sign across the street. The name is spelled out in a pretty cursive font and the entrance of the shop seems to be almost entirely made up of windows. Two small tables are framing the doorway sat in front on either side of the glass; each holding residence to two metal chairs.

It reminds him of a boulangerie he went to in France when he was eight, excluding the fact that he’s in a central Midwestern state and everything is in English. Roads are empty and sidewalks quiet. Everything seems to be asleep even though it’s past nine o’clock in the morning on a Tuesday. He can hear the chatter of birds and the hum of bees as clearly as he can hear the sound of sirens back home. He feels lost. The bright sun and blue sky don’t make sense when they’re not covered by towering structures. The grass is green and there are trees everywhere. The air smells clean. He breaths in the air conditioned oxygen from inside his rental car and revels in the fact that even the recycled air inside the car seems different than what he’s used to.

It takes him a moment to remember that he’s at a stop sign and sitting in the middle of the road is not appropriate, even if there aren’t any other vehicles in sight. He pulls over into a parking lot of what appears to be an agriculture store. Harry’s never been to one of those. For a brief second, he wonders what it’s like on the inside before his stomach reminds him of why he stopped in the first place. He gets out and locks the car before walking down the sidewalk of what must be the main street. The closer he gets to the shop the more apparent it becomes that it’s a bakery. Sweet smells of sugar and spices blend with the air and create an irresistible aroma along the length of the avenue. It feels homely in a sophisticated way. Everything is clean cut and organized but it doesn’t feel sterile or lack a sense of personalization.

He’s enraptured by the way the store looks out of place but feels as if it belongs anyway. It exudes an air of confidence that can only be perceived if the person in front of it is crazy enough to believe that a building can possess its own personality. As soon as he tugs on the handle of the door to pull it open a bell chimes and a smile breaks out on his face. The place is charming enough that he feels he could be convinced to flirt back if such an occasion ever occurred. Clearly, Harry is losing his mind.

He’s pretty sure the synapses in his brain got confused the second he stepped off of a plane and there weren’t people shouting about the impending apocalypse and how to prepare in the streets. Silence isn’t a word in his vocabulary and his brain is having a meltdown at being introduced to it. He wonders if it’s possible to get a culture shock in your own country… probably not.

The bakery is little and plays instrumental versions of pop songs in a muted tone. He forgot to read the name on the sign before he walked in and is tempted to walk back outside so that he can know. Before he can turn around a young girl at the front counter greets him.

"Welcome to Baby Honey, how may I help you?" She sounds timid and only takes a brief second to make eye contact before glancing back down at the register and picking at her fingernails.

"Baby Honey?" Harry’s eyes widen larger than saucers. He can’t believe he ended up in the place those two guys from the beach recommended to him. A smile phases across his face like moonbeams. It doesn’t make sense, but the name fits.

As if the utterance of the name was magnetized to him, a man appears from the doorway of what must be the kitchen. Harry wants to take a minute to breathe because this guy is other worldly and it’s unlikely that Harry will be able to contain whatever may spill out of his mouth in his presence. He’s in public though, and that would probably come across as rude so he has to just pretend that everything is totally okay.

"That’s the name, yeah." His voice is light and reminds Harry of the summer breeze he felt while driving down the highway his first night in the area. Warm, calming, soft, welcoming, nice. His heart's not beating out of his chest at all.

"Wherever in the world did that name come from?" It’s such an old man thing to say and Harry hates himself for it, but he hates himself less than he would have if he said something like “You walked into this room and my immediate thought was ‘oh he must be made of sunshine’” or “Usually I don’t notice people's eyes but yours are so blue I feel like I’m drowning in the ocean holy shit.” Harry doesn’t think either of those statements would have made a particularly flattering impression. He also just wants an excuse to talk to the pretty boy longer.

“I’ve got a plethora of creative little sisters at home.” The man smiles and Harry thinks he might as well retire now. He’s going to be absolutely useless for the rest of eternity now that he’s seen a contender for the best thing in the entire universe. And it’s contagious. Everyone in the bakery seems to be smiling and Harry gets this inkling that all of it has something to do with this boy.

"Cute." Harry accidentally lets slip and he hopes that the man takes it as a compliment towards the name of the shop and not anything else.

"What are you looking for today?" The counter girl speaks up again. Harry sort of forgot she was there.

"What do you recommend?" Harry redirects his attention onto her even though he really wants to keep talking to the man. He has to at least look as though he’s polite and doesn’t only think with his overly romantic heart. Or his dick. Maybe a combination of both.

"That depends on what you like. Our newest item is a blueberry lemon napoleon but my personal favorite is the vegan dark chocolate raspberry brownies." The man looks proud of the girl. Harry should definitely stop looking at him when he’s having a conversation with someone else.

"Hmm..." Harry’s stalling by pretending he’s interested in the display case. He hopes no one else notices.

"What's your favorite?" Harry diverts the conversation back to the boy.

"I'm pretty fond of strawberry Kiwi tartlets." That was not a desert he spotted in his looking.

"And which one of these is that?" Harry wonders pointing at the display case. The man pauses then grins and signals for Harry to give him a moment. While the man goes into the back the counter girl strikes up a  conversation with him again.

“Are you new in town then?” Is the first thing she asks him. Her shyness must have worn off a little while Harry talked to the man.

“Um… I guess… yeah, I guess you could say that.” Harry stutters. Technically he is new to this town.

“What do you mean you guess?” She seems puzzled by his answer. Maybe it really did make no sense.

“Well, I’m from New York so I’m definitely not from around here. That makes me new, doesn’t it?” Harry believes that that makes sense.

“I guess so. But do you plan on staying…” She trails off and gestures for him to finish the sentence. Harry assumes she wants to know his name.

“Harry. My name is Harry. And I’m not sure yet. What do you do for fun around here?” The girl smirks.

“The roller rink can be fun. Otherwise, there’s a bunch of cool stuff three towns over. That’s a much bigger city than our little town." She giggles as if she finds it hilarious that there’s literally nothing to do except rollerblade within miles. Harry can hardly even comprehend such a foreign concept.

“I might have to go three towns over then.” Harry laughs as well. He’d never survive in a town as small as this. He’s so happy he gets to call the city his home.

“If that’s what you want to do. If you do stick around though I’m sure Louis wouldn’t mind showing you around.” She smiles like she’s got some sort of secret.

“Louis?” Harry questions.

“Yeah, Louis.” She gestures towards the kitchen door and Harry assumes her gestures meant for that man. Louis. What a nice name for a gorgeous boy.

“I’ll think about it.” Harry smiles sincerely at her. He doesn’t think he’ll stay more than a night but spending some time with that pretty boy is very tempting. Louis, Harry corrects. His name is Louis. Louis returns to the counter shortly after and Harry gives him an odd look. What in the world had this boy gone to do?

"Are these even for sale?" Harry asks. It’s a valid question considering the fact that the pretty pink and green desert he pulls out was decidedly not in the display case.

"Not yet. You can try it out and tell me if they're any good." Harry can feel himself grinning like a child who’s just been told a secret, but he doesn’t care. He’s just found out he gets to try some fancy dessert that isn’t even on the menu yet. He’s absolutely overjoyed.

"How much do I owe you for this?" Harry isn’t sure how much treats cost here, especially ones that aren’t on the menu.

"Your feedback is a good enough payment." Harry widens his eyes. He can’t possibly just take this for free… but Louis looks like he isn’t going to give any room to argue and the counter girl doesn’t seem like she’s going to help either.

"I'm going to go eat this outside...” Harry gestures towards the front door. He wants to eat at those cute little tables so bad. “but I'll be back to let you know!" then he waves and exits before either of them has the chance to say anything else.

Outside Harry takes a deep breath. Partially because the air is so pure here and also because being around Louis was a lot for him to handle. He’s definitely one of the most stunning people he has ever met and he lives in a city full of models and celebrities.

He sits at one of the small tables and lays the little desert on the surface. It looks artful and Harry has to take a picture of it. He posts it on Instagram with the caption “bébé chéri” and then takes his first bite. He wasn’t even sure what a tartlet was but now that he’s tasted it he wants nothing more than to be able to eat one every day. He savors the flavor of the little piece of heaven for as long as he possibly can before finishing it off and stepping back inside. When Harry arrives back at the counter he smiles at the girl and she steps in the back; presumably to get Louis. Louis walks into the room and strides directly towards Harry.

"Hi." Harry smiles at the two employees.

"Hi." Louis nods and the girl smiles.

"That... that dessert. Strawberry Kiwi whatever. That was one of the most delicious things I've ever had the pleasure to taste." Harry remembers the name he just doesn’t want to seem too obsessed.

"Really? It was that good?" Louis looks like he’s trying to gain Harry’s professional opinion on a desert but he doesn’t have one of those. Harry is far from a food critic. That’s Niall’s job.

"Really, really." Harry goes for the teasing path. That way Louis will understand that he is in no way qualified to critique his or anyone else's baking skills.

"Well, then I guess I'll have to sell them." Louis smiles so wide that his eyes crinkle at the corners. Harry’s heart stops and his stomach twists in knots. Harry isn’t loving the irony of his tattoo on his stomach at the moment.

"Or you could just let me buy them all." Harry smirks. He’s only sort of kidding.

"You want an experimental batch of 19 tartlets?"

"If they're all as good as the first one, then yeah."

"How on earth would you eat that many? You'd surely get sick. I can't possibly allow you to do that." Louis sounds genuinely concerned for his well-being and it’s the most adorable thing he’s ever heard. And he used to babysit kittens.

"I'll share them." He pouts. Harry doesn’t have anyone to share them with but they really are excellent and he wants to talk to Louis for as long as possible.

"And who would you be sharing them with?" Louis asks and it sounds like he’s teasing him. Harry really can’t handle any of this.

"My stomach." And then they both break out into a fit of giggles. Louis’ laugh is gentle and sweet. Harry would happily hear it every day if that were possible. He needs to give himself a reality check because these are not things you’re supposed to think the first time you meet someone and he’s pretty sure he’s going slightly overboard.

In the end, Louis gives in and hands Harry more tartlets. Not all of them, but a few. They talk for a couple more minutes before Louis has to get back to work. Harry’s not sure what he’s going to do with himself for the remainder of the day, but he knows the majority will probably be spent thinking of pretty blue eyes and a crinkly sunshine smile. He’s happy. For the first time in nearly a week since he’s arrived, Harry thinks he might not be so lost after all.

∞∞∞

There's a sound in the distance that leads him to believe he's not alone. By distance, he means across the room. By him not being alone, he means his phone is ringing and he's far too lazy to get up out of the rumpled cove of blankets he's wrapped himself in on the sofa.

All of this leads him to conclude that he might be as indolent as Zayn and Liam are prone to pointing out. Then again, Zayn and Liam do not run a bakery, so they don't understand the stress he goes through on a daily basis. Building a fortress of blankets to swallow himself in comfort is completely understandable given the current circumstance.

Today is the day he's been waiting for. The arrival of the sun this morning swaddled him in warmth and brightness and it made him smile. Today was supposed to be his day. There was one slight hiccup in the road though; one wrong turn which flipped the entire freeway on its side.

This slight inconvenience appeared in the form of a human body.

This body happened to have the nicest smile, bounciest curls, and most green eyes he'd ever seen. Louis' not a stranger to attraction but something about this boy off put him enough that he had stumbled around the back of the kitchen for roughly three minutes before his brain decided to function properly.

It wasn't the average every day "oh this boy is cute, wow, nice!" kind of ordeal. It was a "holy shit I might have accidentally made a deal with the devil in my sleep and forgot because what the fuck this man can not be real... he simply can't."

So it took Louis a moment to compose himself. Maybe slightly more than a moment but he thinks that was justified given the situation. He had just needed to return his own resolve to its regular place in his brain. He's an adult for god's sake, it can't be that hard to formulate a regular string of words together... even if those words are being directed at a divinity that has legs for days and tattoos everywhere. Okay, so he's not exactly Louis' run of the mill customer, but he can work with this. He likes a good challenge.

"Welcome to Baby Honey, how may I help you?" one of the younger employees, Victoria who he hired to run the cash register spoke out in her typical soft shy tone.

"Baby Honey?" He smiled unabashedly as if he had been taken off guard by the name of the establishment. Yes, he had dimples, and yes, Louis died a little. Louis knew an opportunity when he saw one and he took that as his chance to intervene.

"That’s the name, yeah. "

"Wherever in the world did that name come from?" The stranger sounded like he wasn’t from around here. Partially because if he was Louis would know, and also because his voice was laced with something slightly unfamiliar to him. Something more eastern that he couldn’t fully pinpoint. 

“I’ve got a plethora of creative little sisters at home.” Louis attempted to smile professionally, but it came off as more of the equivalent of a fluffy pillow of smiles.

"Cute." The man smiled and it felt like he wasn’t talking about Louis’ sisters. Louis blinked. He could do this.

"What are you looking for today?" Victoria asked ignoring Louis’ omnipresent attraction and desire to talk to this customer. Her voice was small and young and it reminded Louis of his own sister’s voices.

"What do you recommend?" The man redirected his attention onto Victoria.

"That depends on what you like. Our newest item is a blueberry lemon napoleon but my personal favorite is the vegan dark chocolate raspberry brownies." Louis needed to remember to recognize her for actually paying attention to the menu items and being professional, unlike Louis.

"Hmm..." The man hums while staring at the case full of pastries.

"What's your favorite?" He asked whilst looking directly at Louis. Louis’ heart had only stopped for like half a second, it was totally fine.

"I'm pretty fond of strawberry kiwi tartlets." Louis mentioned offhandedly not thinking that he obviously had meant what was Louis’ favorite off of the menu.

"And which one of these is that?" He wondered pointing at the display case. Louis froze, then grinned and signaled for the man to give him a minute. Louis stepped into the back quickly in order to grab one of his new experimental desserts. He always thought that kiwi and strawberry were a lovely combination and he wanted to find a way to incorporate them into an item for the shop.

When Louis returned to the counter the stranger had a puzzled look on his face. Louis supposed he would have been a bit confused as well if the owner of a bakery presented him with a treat that wasn't on display.

"Are these even for sale?"

"Not yet. You can try it out and tell me if they're any good." The man grinned like a child who’s just been told a secret.

"How much do I owe you for this?" It took a beat longer than Louis would have liked for him to respond because he hadn’t known what to say. The tartlets weren’t even on sale yet.

"Your feedback is a good enough payment." Louis stated. Victoria, who had still been stood beside Louis behind the counter looked up at him as if he'd just done something completely and entirely unexpected. Louis supposed he kind of had.

"I'm going to go eat this outside...” The man gestured towards the front door. “but I'll be back to let you know!" then he waved. Louis sort of hates himself for it but the way his hand shook in the air made him feel incredibly endeared.

As the stranger walked away Louis noticed a rose on his left arm. The man sat down on one of the patio chairs outside the bakery. Louis spent a minute longer than he should have simply staring out the window. It sounded like Victoria was on the verge of breaking out in full blown giggles, so Louis had decided to return to the kitchen. Louis mixed together some new cookie dough and created another batch of tartlets; these ones peach mango flavored. Once his focus had finally been successfully gained, Victoria stumbled into the kitchen and mumbled something that sounds like "That boy is back," with a semblance of a smirk on her face and Louis' concentration was once again up in the air. He walked back out toward the counter with Victoria at his side.

"Hi." The man addressed them both politely.

"Hi." Louis nodded and Victoria smiled.

"That... that dessert. Whatever it was. That was one of the most delicious things I've ever had the pleasure to taste." His eyes were full to the brim with sincerity and stardust. He sounded amazed, as if he couldn't quite believe that he ate it.

"Really? It was that good?" Louis was blushing on the inside but he was trying his best to appear professional since he was at work.

"Really, really." and, oh. He was a bit silly too.

"Well, then I guess I'll have to sell them." Louis had smiled so wide that his eyes crinkled at the corners.

"Or you could just let me buy them all." The man smirked, his eyes twinkled with an unmatched amount of glittering mirth.

"You want an experimental batch of 19 tartlets?"

"If they're all as good as the first one, then yeah."

"How on earth would you eat that many? You'd surely get sick. I can't possibly allow you to do that." Louis had accidentally let his subconscious take over and made himself sound like a total geek.

"I'll share them." He pouted as if he was genuinely upset over the fact that Louis wouldn’t sell him an abundance of tiny treats that weren't even meant to be eaten yet.

"And who would you be sharing them with?" Louis asked in a teasing manner, but he was actually curious. He's never seen this guy before... he can't possibly live in the area. The stranger's friends? But he surely had come here alone.

"My stomach." And then they both broke out into a fit of giggles. The man's laugh had to have been one of the best sounds that Louis' ever heard.

In the end, Louis had given in and handed the stranger more tartlets, because he was so cute and Louis is so weak. When the boy had finally left Louis slumped against the countertop.

“Hey, Lou” Victoria smiles.

“Yes, love?” Louis sighed and sunk further into the counter.

“You have a massive fucking crush on that guy.” Victoria laughs and pats him on the back consolingly. “Also… I talked to him a little before I went back to get you and his name is Harry and he’s from New York. I figured you’d want to know.”

So, now he’s here in his bundle of warmth on his worn out couch refusing to get up to do anything. Harry. God, Louis can’t believe this boy is real. He also can’t believe his fucking luck because of course Harry would be from out of town. He always assumed that. But it still makes him sad and he wishes that he had a chance to get to know Harry. He has a feeling he’s absolutely lovely, but Harry’s just passing through and he’ll never get to know.

Harry’s just passing through and he’s stuck here.

Today was supposed to be his day. Today was supposed to be the day he decided to make a call and finally get out of here. Zayn and Liam expect him to. Louis sort of expects himself to as well. Today was supposed to be the day, but Louis thinks that for now, he’s comfy and sad because everything feels like one giant ‘what if’ and Louis’ never liked the prospect of untapped potential. The idea of something that could have happened but didn’t. Louis thinks the call can wait until tomorrow.

∞∞∞

When Harry google searched ‘hotels near me’ this is not what he expected to find. There’s a large three story mansion laid out in front of him. The brick exterior looks worn from years of weather, but it also glistens in a way that only old things can. The building as a whole is rectangular with peaks of triangle shaped white arcs that make sections of the mansion look like a childhood version of a house. It’s stunning in a natural way. Ivy curls itself into delicately weaved patterns and daisies blossom in rows along the sidewalk.

All the rooms are separated by balconies rather than hallways. When Harry gets his key and opens room 205 he’s surprised at the Victorian design. The bed has four tall posts that nearly touch the coffered ceiling. There’s a small fire place next to a leather chair, a magazine rack, and smack dab in the middle of the room is a gigantic bathtub which spouts from a brick wall. It’s magnificent and Harry feels like he’s been transported back in time to the 1890’s.

He sets his two suitcases down on the floor and throws his backpack onto the bed. Even after a little over week outside of the city he still doesn’t feel like he knows what he’s doing. He turns in a circle to take it all in. For some reason, this place feels even quieter than everywhere else he’s been. He’s discovered he doesn’t like the silence all that much. Harry misses the constant undercurrent of noise and movement that comes with living in New York.

Harry does love a good bit of history though, so instead of pondering on his life decisions alone, he exits to find the innkeeper so he can ask about the interior design of the rooms. After a small chat and a cup of tea, he decides a walk could do him some good.

Outside is cool and breezy as the day fades into night. Harry shivers and wraps himself in his own arms in an attempt to ward off the cold. Chills run down his spine and create goose bumps on the surface on his arms. Each hair stands up straight and Harry curls in on himself even more. He forgot to bring a jacket with and he refuses to turn around and get one. The town is dimming, the sun is setting, the temperature is dropping, and Harry is walking. With each passing step another street lamp flicks on and another house light shuts off. The cracks in the sidewalk run rigidly from one to corner of the concrete to the next. There is no illusion here. Things aren’t trying to look perfect. People aren’t trying to look perfect. Everything is real.

Harry continues on until he reaches the outskirts of town. He closes his eyes for a second and he almost thinks he can hear waves, which is weird considering he’s in the middle of the country and nowhere near an ocean. He walks until suddenly he’s standing on the shore and water stretches for miles.

“Why do you look so surprised?” A voice makes Harry gasp and jump back.

“I-I… I didn’t think anyone else was out here.” Harry stutters as the body stands up from where they must have been sitting on a bench.

“You were surprised before I even said anything. Have you never seen a lake before?” Harry still can’t clearly see who he’s talking to but the person doesn’t appear to be threatening and he knows he needs to get out of the New York mindset.

“I just didn’t know this was here.” Harry ducks his head shyly. It’s so obvious that he’s a tourist. Their eyes catch and Harry wants to gasp all over again. Blue. So blue that even the black sky can’t mask it. _Pretty pretty pretty_. Harry looks down and kicks the rocks at his feet.

“New York.” The boy mumbles. His voice is so nice. Light and airy with a hint of amazement.

“What?” Harry is a lost cause. He’s a conglomeration of confusion and adoration and the cocktail of emotions makes him feel drunk.

“You’re from New York.” This time it’s a statement.

“I-Uh-um-y-yeah.” Harry couldn’t be a bigger idiot if he tried.

“Sorry,” the man laughs. “That sounded really creepy, didn’t it? I just meant… well I mean I remember you coming into my shop the other day. Victoria told me you were from New York.” he shakes his head “And now I look like an asshole. Great.” He chuckles self deprecatingly. Harry’s unsure of how he should respond. The poor guy is beating himself up over something that has Harry swooning, but surely Harry can’t say that so he goes with answering the original question. It takes a minute but the words eventually roll off his tongue and out his mouth.

“I’m surprised because it almost sounded like the ocean and I feel like I haven’t heard that in ages.” Harry rubs his arm. For a moment he forgot how cold it is but now he’s shivering more than ever. He really wishes he had remembered that jacket. The man sits back on the bench. Harry takes that as his invitation to join him.

“I’m Louis.” He tilts his head to the side and smiles a sleepy lopsided grin. Harry can’t help but smile back.

“Harry.” For a second they both just look at each other until Harry reaches his hand out and wiggles his eyebrows. “Pleased to meet you kind sir.” And then they’re laughing so hard that Harry can’t see straight.

“Welcome to Freymont, Mr. Harry. I’d love to see you around.” Louis stands up, brushes off his thighs, then holds out a hand. Harry takes it and then he’s standing too.

“Thanks.” Harry isn’t sure if the sincerity is for the hand up or something else. Maybe it’s a lot of things.

“You know where to find me.” Louis nods and then walks off down the road. The little sway of his hips and the way Harry can tell he knows exactly where he’s headed makes him want to find Louis. His sense of direction in stable and only has one arrow. Harry likes that. He likes a lot of things about Louis. Maybe that in and of itself is a gem.

∞∞∞

There’s a buzzing ringing through his apartment loud enough that Louis thinks the floor might be shaking. Or maybe that’s just his brain. It’s continuous and relentless and Louis just wants to sleep because it’s dark out and that’s what people do in the dark. Well, that and some other things but Louis’ sleep addled mind is too tired to even go there. It won’t stop, so he peeks one eye open only to be blinded by the bright white of his phone screen. The protrusion causes Louis to squeeze his eyes tightly shut. Why is his phone on in the middle of the night and why is it making so much noise?

The music stops for a moment and Louis sighs in relief. Finally, he can get back to his dream about the pretty boy by the lake. He thinks he’s safe a second too soon because suddenly the blaring noise is up and running again and Louis can’t take it. He sits up quickly with his eyes still shut, throws off his comforter, stands up, wipes his eyes, rubs his temples, then slides right on his phone. He coughs.

“Hello?” Louis’ voice cracks at the end but he can’t be bothered to care. If it was the company he was expecting a call from he’d need to have a talk with them because this is completely inappropriate timing.

“Hi Lou, I’m so sorry to wake you but,”

“What the fuck do you want Zayn?”

“I need to know if you can give me a ride quick? Liam’s not answering and I don’t know anyone else who keeps their phone on at night.” Zayn at least has the decency to sound apologetic.

“Where the hell are you and why isn’t Liam with?” None of this makes any sense. Zayn and Liam are practically attached at the hip.

“Kimberly and John asked if Liam and I wanted to go on a night ride with them. Liam said he was too tired, but I haven’t been out riding for ages and it sounded like so much fun. They picked me up since they were already headed our way and Li said he’d come get me when we were done, but he must have fallen asleep.” Zayn sighs lovingly. Even when Zayn and Liam aren’t together they’re still gross. Louis hates them.

“You went horseback riding at,” Louis pulls his phone away from his ear to check the time. “1:17 AM? What the fuck Zayn. I thought Kimberly and John were an elderly couple.”

“Hey! Just because they’re old doesn’t mean they don’t know how to have a good time. Have you met them? Give some credit where credit is due.” Louis smacks his forehead lightly. Only Zayn would ask a favor _and_ argue with him in the middle of the night. Louis sighs deeply.

“Where are you?”

“Kim’s house. She just made cookies and they’re so fucking good Lou.”

“Zayn Javvad Malik. Give me the fucking directions or I’m leaving your sorry ass there and going back to bed.” Zayn giggles. Louis really _really_ hates him.

“I’ll text it to you.”

“You better. Oh, and seeing as I won’t be functioning at my normal levels tomorrow someone gets to come help me make strawberry mousse.”

“I’ll get Liam right on that.”

“You’ll get right on that, or I’m coming to your farm and smashing all your plants.” Louis’ mind couldn’t think up a proper threat even if it wanted to.

“That’s not even possible, but sure Lou. I’ll see you in a bit.”

“Whatever.” Louis really wishes you still could slam down phones to hang up. It would fit his mood quite nicely.

∞∞∞

A week later and Harry still hasn’t returned to the bakery. It’s not that he’s scared per say, it’s just that he’s not a fan of looking like a stalker. And he’s scared. At the moment he’s across the street in the same exact parking lot he stood in the first time he came here. It’s giving him a large dose of deja vu and he’s not a huge supporter of the sensation. He doesn’t have any reason to be nervous, but Louis is so stunning it makes Harry want to cry. And who the hell thinks of stuff like that? Harry’s got to be the biggest fucking weirdo on the planet. He nudges one foot forward. He’s been meaning to come back ever since the night at the lake. He obviously needs to do it at some point if the incessant pull hasn’t decreased yet. Today is ‘some point’. But first, he needs to talk to Niall. The phone rings once, twice, three times before Niall picks up.

“Go for Niall.”

“Niall, stop acting like you have any relevance to anything.”

“I have relevance to lots of things. I have relevance in the food industry, being a food critic and all. I have relevance with my family. I have relevance at the pub around the corner because those drunk Irish men absolutely adore me, and I have relevance with you. You wouldn’t be where you are today without me curly.” Niall sounds so smug and Harry wishes he hadn’t said anything. This is not the time to discuss the importance of Niall Horan’s existence.

“Niall…”

“Also, I’ll have you know that I just got named one of the top critics in the city. How about that for relevance?”

“Niall!”

“Yes?”

“I’m having a crisis.” That should capture his attention. Hopefully.

“Well, why didn’t you say so earlier?”

“Because you wouldn’t shut up about how important you are.” Harry sighs. Sometimes his best friend could be such an idiot. Then again, Harry’s pretty idiotic as well. Maybe that’s why they make such a great pair.

“Go on then, some of us don’t have all day.” He’s only teasing, but it reminds Harry of how scheduled and busy he used to be and how drastically that has changed in the last three weeks. 

“I met this guy,”

“Holy shit, really? When? Harry Styles, if you’ve been keeping some scandalous affair away from me I’m going to piss in your favorite shampoo bottle when you get home.”

“No! No. Nothing- nothing like that. I just… This guy, Louis. He-he owns this bakery in this little town called Freymont. And, Niall. He has the most beautiful blue eyes I have ever seen.” Niall scoffs at that but Harry proceeds anyway. “He’s so hot Niall you have no idea.”

“Alright, all of this is great but why are you telling me now? In the middle of the work day?” Niall sounds purely curious and not at all irritated.

“Because he kind of indirectly told me to come visit him but it’s been a week and I haven’t gone back.” Harry feels extremely pathetic as soon as he’s said it out loud. He’s usually much more smooth than this.

“Dude.”

“Dude?” Harry squeaks. He knows what’s coming.

“Go. Right now. Immediately. Don’t make me get on a plane just so you can fuck a guy.” Harry groans. He knows Niall is right. Of course, he is. Harry just needs to grow some balls and walk inside.

“Yeah, okay you’re right. I’m going, I'm going.”

“Call me later and tell me how it went.” There’s a please somewhere in there. He knows Niall actually cares about his well being, especially when his well being involves cute boys.

“I will. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

∞∞∞

Harry has been in his shop every day for the past week. Louis has been going absolutely mad trying to keep his head on right, but it’s becoming harder and harder the longer Harry sticks around. At first, it was a pleasant unexpected surprise, but now a routine is forming and Louis gets the idea that this is very _very_ bad. Zayn and Liam seem to think differently.

“But have you seen those dimples? I want dimples! Why was I born dimple-less.” Liam frowns. Zayn shakes his head in amusement. They both are having a fantastic time teasing the shit out of Louis because of his ‘crush’. He doesn’t have a crush. Those two are ridiculous. Harry’s just really gorgeous and he sort of wants to eat him up. Nothing unusual or ‘crush like’ at all.

“Yes, Liam, Louis knows all about Harry’s dimples.” Zayn murmurs while stroking Liam’s hair. The three of them are in the back of his shop after hours preparing for tomorrow's breakfast crowd.

“And those long curls. They make him look all hipstery.” Liam giggles.

“Don’t forget about the tattoos. Gives him an edge. Louis must be going out of his mind dreaming about those tattoos, don’t you think Li?” Liam nods enthusiastically. It’s like Louis isn’t even in the room, _honestly_ , those two need to learn a thing or two about independence.

“Zayn! We’ve forgotten about the clothes! How could we forget about the clothes?” Liam and Zayn’s eyes widen. Louis immediately regrets ever becoming friends with them.

“You remember?” Liam and Zayn say in unison. Louis has a feeling he’s missing something.

“Lou, we never told you this but we actually met Harry first.”

“You what?” There’s no way that they’re telling the truth. Is there?

“Z and I went to W Quad a few weeks back and I noticed this guy.” Louis nods, signaling him to continue with the story. “He was absolutely indecent in these tiny yellow shorts.”

“Indecent as in he looked like he planned an adult vacation on a private island in the Bahamas, but somehow he got lost and ended up here.”

“Exactly. And I immediately knew that we had to meet this guy.”

“Why?” Louis scowls. What did they expect from Harry? A threesome? Louis hasn’t known him for very long but he’s pretty sure Harry has talked about marriage and children enough times that anyone with eyes can see he’s not into that kind of thing.

“To see if he planned on sticking around so we could set him up with our friend.” Louis chokes on his own spit. If those two ruined his chances before he even met Harry he will never forgive them.

“So, Liam dragged me over there and started talking to him. The guy looked absolutely petrified. We knew that all appearances aside, he couldn’t be from around here. No one reacts to a stranger walking up to them like that? He looked like he was ready to punch us if necessary. So we took it nice and slow and just mentioned the bakery and left.”

Louis raises his eyebrows. It’s highly unlikely that Liam and Zayn actually minded their own business.

“And he did show up, just like we knew he would.”

“If either of you starts spewing off shit about fate or destiny you’re getting kicked out.” Louis doesn’t believe in those kinds of things no matter how persistent his best friends are.

“We’re not chill out. We just wanted to show you the Snapchat we took. We totally forgot to send it to you that day but it just so happens that we saved it.” Zayn and Liam smirk devilishly.

“Guys, I don’t want to see Harry in-” Louis chokes again, this time on air. In front of his face is a lanky, toned, and very naked body of Harry in the promised yellow shorts. Laurel tattoos stick out from the juts of his hips and Louis is done for the night. He promptly kicks Liam and Zayn out and tells them not to come back ever again. He also slides down the wall and cradles his head in his hand for a couple minutes too long with images of Harry’s biceps in his mind. If the shop opens a couple minutes later than it typically does the following day, that’s no one's problem but his own.

∞∞∞

Harry’s always hated the phrase ‘time flies’. Time was constant and steady. It ticked and tocked every second, every hour, every day, _always_. If there is one thing he can believe it’s that time doesn’t change. Seasons come and go and so do years. It’s consistent if nothing else. The last month and a half in Freymont have not felt consistent. Time had stopped momentarily and suddenly he’s two months into his trip and he’s only got 40 locations to prove it. Some might consider that a failure on his part. Harry believes that he’s never had more success in his life.

Nearly every single day since he’s been here has been spent with Louis. Harry has been having so much fun he hardly knows how to contain himself. Life feels so good. There is anticipation greeting him in the morning and tucking him in at night. He wakes up happy. He goes to sleep happy. Harry has begun to wonder if maybe someone has slipped rose tinted glasses on his face and he simply hasn’t noticed. Realistically, this trip should not be going as splendidly as it is, but it continues to be wonderful and Harry continues to be amazed. Even the bad parts aren’t that bad.

Louis continues to surprise him. He’s easily become something vital to Harry. Louis is one of Harry’s favorite people and he feels honored that he even gets to know him. That they’ve become close so effortlessly; like it was meant to be. Harry tries not to let his thoughts stray too much. He and Louis and are friends. Just friends. And that’s fine, but Harry’s heart doesn’t always agree with his mind.

“H, I told you this ten minutes ago.” Louis rolls his eyes fondly. At least Harry hopes it’s fond.

“And I forgot it nine minutes ago.” He conveniently leaves out that the reason he forgot was that he was staring at Louis in his apron.

“Making rolls requires a certain level of attentiveness that you clearly don’t have.” Louis shakes his head and laughs. Harry loves his laugh.

“I didn’t know you wanted me to be attentive towards your buns, Louis.”

“Oh for god's sake, I told you they’re not buns. They’re rolls Styles, get with the program!” Louis claps three times in quick succession before turning around and walking away. The sway of his hips suggests that they definitely are buns, and they definitely need some attention. Harry’s brain suggests that he needs to get his shit together.

“But Louis, rolls are no fun. What kind of puns can I make about rolls?”

“None. That’s why they’re great.” Louis is trying to scowl, but Harry can see the smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“Lou?”

“Yes, Harry?”

“What kind of car does a baker drive?” Harry smirks. He’s so clever. Louis groans.

“No.”

“Yes.”

“Harry. No.”

“Harry, _yes_.” Louis closes his eyes for a moment before twirling his hand in a motion that signals him to proceed with the joke.

“A _Rolls_ -Royce.” At that Louis spins on his heel quickly and begins to run after Harry with an egg in his hand. Harry’s eyes widen, knowing exactly what Louis thinks he’s going to do. Harry books it, but just as he reaches the knob of the door he gets tackled to the ground. With an ‘ _uumph_ ’ Harry is on his back on the cold ceramic tile and Louis is on top of him. Louis nods. It’s his silent way of telling Harry that if he apologizes for his joke he’s off the hook. Harry can’t do that though.

“I’m not sorry.” As soon as the last word is out of his mouth gooey egg yolk in his hair and the crumbled egg shell is being smeared on his t shirt. They lay there for a moment just looking and breathing until Louis jumps to his feet and gets back to work. Harry takes that as his sign to leave and have a bath. When Louis doesn’t so much as turn around when the door swings open he knows he’s right.

∞∞∞

The official confirmation comes in on a Sunday morning. Louis struggles to escape the octopus tentacles that are Harry’s arms. Louis doesn’t remember when they fell asleep on the couch and he definitely doesn’t remember Harry being all wrapped around him, but Louis’ always loved a good cuddle and if that cuddle is coming from an extremely lovely boy that he’s half in love with that’s perfectly fine by him. Harry is soft and warm. Both of them are sleep rumpled and still in their clothes from the previous day but Harry looks beautiful regardless. Louis’ only a little irritated that he still looks good even when he’s not conscious.

It’s strange to think that Harry has only been around since May. Time feels infinitesimal and undetermined. The summer is a firework that crackles and burns out in a flash; quick paced and vibrant. On the contrary, it is also the slow drip of the pitch drop experiment; methodical and mesmerizing. As soon as Louis manages to escape Harry’s grasp he opens the door to find an edible arrangement sitting on his doorstep. He’s immensely confused until he picks up the little card.

_ Louis, _

_ We’re so happy to hear you’re considering our offer. We would love to meet you at our office in Chicago the week of the 19th-22nd. Please enjoy and let us know if you are able to attend. _

_ -TRU INC. _

Louis’ brain is sluggish and it takes a moment to process that he’s going to Chicago. He’s finally going to Chicago like he always planned. He’s proud of himself for finally settling this business prospect after two years of back and forth. Zayn and Liam are going to be extremely proud as well… but Harry. Harry doesn’t know, and despite how much he wants to celebrate his little success with him he doesn’t want Harry to be fretting over their numbered days. Harry’s excellent at worrying no matter how hard he attempts to disguise it.

Louis doesn’t want to tell Harry because it’s not like he was ever going to stick around here anyway. Louis can see it. He sees how Harry dislikes this place the longer he stays. It’s missing so much of what is standard to him that he can’t even fully settle because he’s constantly on the go trying to find new adventures. Louis thinks Harry’s project is fascinating but he’s like an overeager frog always hopping from one place to the next and never knowing where he’ll end up. Louis knows where he’ll end up. He’s content with it, even if he and Harry aren’t meant to be together his plans will remain the same.

At that, he hears a clang from the kitchen which startles him out of his reprieve. He drops off the basket in his room before he walks over to the kitchen. Harry is crouched over reaching inside a cupboard looking for… _something_.

“Harry, what are you doing?” Harry hits his head on the door of the cabinet and mutters something akin to ‘ _aw fuck_ ’ underneath his breath.

“I was going to make breakfast.” Harry sighs and pouts. He’s so cute Louis wants to kiss that adorable pout right off his face.

“I thought breakfast was my department.” Louis grins. He always has Gibbs and Lily come in for the early morning shift on the weekends so Louis isn’t required to go to work unless he wants to.

“When was the last time someone made breakfast for you?” Harry gives him a pointed look.

“I have no idea.” Louis truly can’t remember.

“Yup, I’m making breakfast. Go sit down and look pretty.”

“You think I’m pretty?” Louis bats his eyelashes. They always joke about these things and Louis’ used to it by now.

“Exceptionally. Sit.” Harry motions towards a barstool by the island in Louis’ kitchen. Harry continues to rummage for cookware and ingredients while Louis writes out his unfinished shopping list that was laying on the counter. Harry continues to be noisy and Louis continues to remain curious.

“Whatcha making?” Louis draws out the A's as he speaks. Harry looks both ways as if he needs to check that the coast is clear so he can let Louis in on his secret.

“Have you ever heard of a surprise?” Harry whispers, eyes wide with mischief.

“I don’t think I have. Do you think you could give me the recipe?”

“If I did I would have to kill you.” Harry frowns but Louis knows he’s dying to break out in laughter.

“Aw, what a shame. Can’t let a pretty face like this rot in the dirt.”

“Absolutely not, which is why this surprise is a secret.”

“Glad you’re keeping me safe, H.” Louis brushes his hand on Harry’s shoulder for a second before returning to his work. The time passes slowly as Harry stumbles around singing Jonas Brothers songs. Louis watches as Harry dances while dramatically performing the song S.O.S. Once he finishes the first chorus he comes closer to Louis.

“I’m done with texting sorry for the miscommunication” Harry attempts to mimic Nick Jonas while pointing at Louis and head banging. He looks awfully uncoordinated in the most adorable manner.

Soon enough the food is complete and Louis has a plateful of strawberry Nutella pancakes. They eat; content with munching away in relative silence. It’s delicious and Harry is so thoughtful. Louis really loves him a lot. Whether or not that love is platonic is beside the point.

“Thank you. This is wonderful.” Harry beams a 1000 kilowatt smile at him and Louis knows that it’s not platonic. Definitely not platonic.

“It’s no problem.” Louis smiles back. It feels right. This all feels right. Too bad it can’t be like this forever.

∞∞∞

It’s the end of August and Harry is meant to be in New York in twelve days.

He also thought he was meant to spend twelve more days in Louis’ presence. Harry feels that fate has royally fucked him and his destinies over. There have been exactly ninety-six days of something. Something… He knows it was something. Time let its hands slip from his neck for a summer. But summer’s nearly over and Louis is gone and Harry’s in a rented out bed with his hand on his dick. The strokes are fast and desperate and he’s so busy concentrating on not thinking about Louis that he doesn’t even recognize he’s close until he’s got come on his stomach and sweat in his hair.

He feels disgusting-- feels like even the longest shower couldn’t make him feel clean. He doesn’t pay attention to the tears until his throat is on fire and he can’t hold it inside any longer. The sound he makes is pitiful. It dislodges itself from his heart and rips out of his throat as a dismantled yelp. It hurts. The noise and the feeling and his entire body ache to feel the way it feels when Louis is near him.

Tears pour out in fat ugly blobs. One follows the next until they’re coming out in such rapid succession that he can’t tell them apart. His fingers are trembling. Each digit twitches in an odd order. He’s still trying to hold it together while everything fumbles out. Even as the threads of the seam spin apart he clutches on to the last inch of control he has over his own emotions.

He doesn’t make any more noise… just sits and tries to let the inordinate amount of emotion pass. He doesn’t know why… can’t understand what has made his heart stick to Louis. Except, if he really thinks about it and lets all of his inhibitions go it’s not that hard to comprehend.

Louis is everything.

He’s the pride your parents feel when you speak your first garbled word. He’s the swelling of amazement you feel after you learn how to stay upright on a bike without training wheels. He’s the sensation of anticipation on the first drop of a rollercoaster. The scream that tears through your lungs and off your tongue when you fall. Scary, exciting, overwhelming… _Everything_.

Louis is everything.

The sunshine peeking out from behind the darkest cloud. His favorite constellation in the night sky. The giant tidal wave that rolls towards the shore and engulfs him completely. He’s all Harry can think about.

Harry feels like he’s got two different timelines running parallel with each other. One’s his past--- the other is Louis. One can no longer function without the other. They are co-dependent and tangled and bound. It’s almost as if Harry now exists as two different people. A new era and an old. Harry before was full of principles on what everything is supposed to be.

Popcorn likes to get stuck in your teeth. Cherry medicine tastes like shit. His mom’s house is blue. The garbage man comes around on Tuesday afternoons. _Things that are apparent_ … Water is a mix of hydrogen and oxygen. Purple is a mix of red and blue. Love is obvious.

All of these things are true to an extent. But Harry never calculated for the percent error. He never thought about the possible exceptions. Sometimes you eat the popcorn just right and don’t have to floss immediately after. Sometimes people are prone to disagreeing about flavors of medicine. His mom could paint the house. The garbage man could show up late. _Sometimes things aren’t black and white_. Water can be mixed with other things. There are different shades of purple that are a product of more than just red and blue. Louis exists.

All of these things tend to disprove his theories.

In the three minute transition period between the first wave of a sob and the time it takes for his brain to catch up with his thoughts there’s nothing. Everything is bare. The walls, the television screen, the mini fridge, Harry’s body, his mind. Nothing. Three minutes of silence aside from the noise a stray car makes as the tires rotate on the concrete.

Then suddenly there’s a pause. A break in between the silence. A hiccup. A hitch of breath. The facade cracks. It’s not like he didn’t know; Louis didn’t pop out of nowhere. He didn’t catch him off guard. Harry felt it every time their hands would brush while Louis put together the most beautiful desserts. He felt it when he was biking down the street as the sun rose so Louis would have some company at 5 AM. He felt it when they went grocery shopping together once and Louis has to explain the significance of different types of flour. He always knew he could love Louis. What Harry hadn’t known was that he had already fallen. He was already standing on solid ground. There was no uncertainty. Harry is in love with Louis.

The tears stop.

All is quiet and Harry realizes, not for the first time, how much he doesn’t like it. Harry also realizes that Louis surely knows that too. Louis knew a lot of things. He can construct a perfect tower of croquembouche, occupy toddlers for more than just a couple hours, and use the most ridiculous words to win a game of Scrabble. Louis is _brilliant_ , but Harry thinks he probably doesn't know this. It’s unlikely that he knows Harry is in love with him.

_ text me when you have a mo _

Harry waits to make sure he receives a response before falling asleep.

**_k._ **

∞∞∞

The conference room is buzzing. Louis arrived in Chicago two days ago and is finally having his last official meeting for the opening of the second location of Baby Honey. Louis is running on excitement and adrenaline. A couple years back Zayn and Liam met with an executive from TRU INC. to discuss the expansion of their farm. Zayn and Liam wanted to stay local, but big companies had been after their land because of how large it was and how well their crops were doing. They declined easily, considering they wanted nothing to do with them, but they redirected the companies time and attention to the success of Baby Honey and how profitable it would be to expand it.

Louis hadn’t been ready to move at the time and he didn’t want a new branch to start without him being there, so they put it on hold. Until now. The location has undergone construction and everything has been configured to the decimal. Everything except Harry. On Wednesday afternoon he receives a text from Harry. He feels horrible for not telling him about it, but the plan was in motion long before Harry even arrived and he couldn’t risk not attending these meeting because he wanted to stay with Harry. He did. He _does_. Louis just knows that he needs to do this for himself. Zayn and Liam clearly know that too.

_ text me when you have a mo _

It’s unusually casual for Harry. Typically his texts are full of little x’s and various emojis that make no sense with the context of the words. Louis loves Harry’s texts, but this one seems different. Formal, stiff, unaffected. Louis doesn’t know what to say. He wants to say ‘I’m sorry I left so unexpectedly’, ‘I care about you a lot, I wish you knew’, ‘I don’t want to stop seeing your face every day’, ‘I know it’s crazy and we’re only friends but I’d love for you to come with me.’ He can’t. Not through a text at least.

**_k._ **

He leaves it at that until the sun is setting in the sky and his flight is set to return tomorrow afternoon.

**_I’ll be home tomorrow. Meet me at my place @7. I’ll have dinner ready so don’t eat before._ **

∞∞∞

Louis is pacing back and forth in his living room. Harry was supposed to arrive five minutes ago. Harry is never late. Louis’ thought up a million and one possibilities as to why he’s not at his doorstep and his brain is going to explode. He feels shitty. There’s a homemade meal of the table and dessert in the oven, but none of that matters if Harry doesn’t even bother to show up. Louis’ eyes glass over the longer he walks from one end of the room to the other. He’s not coming. He’s not coming and Louis’ fucked everything up and-- and he’s here. There’s a small knock at the door.

The sound is faint and hard to hear but it echoes in Louis’ ears. He’s here. He made it, and he doesn’t hate Louis. He trips over his own feet attempting to reach the door as fast as possible. When the door swings open the scent of honeysuckle engulfs his senses and it feels like home. Harry’s got a blue bandana around his neck and his curls have spiraled in every direction on top of his head. He’s breathtaking. Louis is so glad he didn’t lose him.

“Are you going to let me in, or should I stay outside and get eaten by wild animals?” Harry has his head tilted at an angle towards his feet. His boots are inching their way in and out from each other in over anxious tides. In a summary, he’s uncertain. Harry doesn’t know where he belongs.

“No! No, no come in by all means.” Louis ushers Harry through the door where he takes his shoes off. They don’t move.

“I made you chicken fried rice and cinnamon sugar buns.” Louis announces. It feels like an apology.

“I thought you said they were rolls?” Harry’s face peaks with a lingering smile. Tiny, but there.

“I changed my mind.” Louis leads them through the hallway to the dining room. Harry reaches out to grab a chair but Louis stops him.

“No, let me.” He mutters before pulling the chair out so that Harry can sit. Harry raises his eyebrows in question. Louis doesn’t have an answer, it just felt right.

They don’t talk. Food gets scooped up and divided between them both but neither of them has anything else to say. It’s quiet, and for once Louis hates it as much as Harry does.

“I-” Louis starts at the same time that Harry says “Why-”

“You go first.” Louis is more than happy to let Harry take the lead.

“Why-Where did you go?” Harry mumbles into his plate.

“What?”

“Where did you go?” And, _oh_. Louis never even bothered to mention he was in Chicago. Now he feels even worse.

“I went to Chicago. I’m opening up another bakery there and I had a meeting about finalizing the location.”

“Lou that’s- that’s _amazing_. I’m… wow. Why-- why didn’t you say anything?”

“I was afraid that if I told you it would make me change my mind.” Confusion washes over Harry at a lightning speed.

“What do you mean change your mind?”

“I mean… _god_ , I. This is going to sound really stupid, I’m sorry.”

“Louis, whatever it is it’s clearly not stupid.” Harry reaches out and touches Louis' shoulder. It reassures him enough to continue.

“I thought that if I talked about it I wouldn’t want to go through with it.” Louis sighs. He hates being so vulnerable but he hasn’t got a choice anymore.

“It’s an amazing opportunity, what would make you change your mind? Your family? They love you, Louis, I’m positive you’ll still see them all the time.”

“No.” Louis shakes his head. He’s afraid that Harry knows all the right questions to ask. All the questions that make Louis want to run away.

“Is it Zayn and Liam? They would come with if you asked, don’t pretend like they wouldn’t.”

“It’s you.” It comes out on a rushed exhale and in the following seconds of silence, Louis immediately regrets it.

“It’s? Louis look at me. Did you just say what I think you said?” Harry takes Louis’ jaw in his hand and angles it so Louis’ eyes meet his.

“That depends on what you heard.” Louis shrugs in a self-deprecating manner.

“Louis I would _never_ hold you back from something like this.” Harry looks sad. Louis doesn’t like that at all.

“That’s not at all- Harry _I know_. It’s nothing to do with you yourself, it’s me. It’s all me. I’m sorry.” Louis holds back the start of a sob. This isn’t going at all like he planned.

“What do you mean then? I’m clearly not understanding.” There are frustration and sadness creeping into their every word. The poison mix fills the air and if they don’t figure this out soon they’ll choke.

“I like you.” Harry laughs, but it sounds more like a scoff.

“I like you too, Louis. Obviously.”

“No, Harry. I _like_ you.” The air is suddenly cold. Ice creeps up his spine and freezes him out. He can’t move, can’t think, can’t _breathe_. There’s nothing. No response; just air that doesn’t fill his lungs the way it should. Everything has stopped. There’s nothing left to do… nothing left to say. This is it. Louis wishes he never said anything at all. He stands up. He needs to go somewhere, _anywhere_ away from here. Harry hasn’t moved and Louis is sinking into his chair wishing it would swallow him whole. His right foot steps awkwardly sideways and he can’t regain his balance. He’s down. But the floor never comes. He never hits the surface.

“Louis!” Harry caught him. Harry has always been there to catch him since the moment they met.

“ _Louis_. I like you to.” Harry nods his head and smiles.

“You… you do?”

“Of course I do! Why do you think I stayed in Freymont for months?”

“Maybe you really like the scenery.”

“Or maybe I really like your face.” Harry pulls him upright on his feet then engulfs him in the tightest most comforting hug Louis has ever felt.

“I’m moving to Chicago.”

“You are.” Harry seems to hesitate a little. He must be clueless as to what Louis’ trying to do.

“I like seeing your face every day.”

“Ditto.” Harry smiles.

“I was thinking,”

“You do that?” Harry gasps.

“I do. And I’m going to go either way. I know this is my choice and I’m doing it for me.”

“Okay… get on with it then.”

“Have you ever considered taking a journalism job somewhere other than New York?”

“Lou, that’s literally what I’m doing right now.” Louis should have thought this through a bit better. He barrels through regardless.

“I know this is kind of new but you’re sort of my best friend and-”

“I’ll start looking. If I find something I like, I’ll take it. If I don’t, I’ll go home and we'll make it work.”

“But I didn’t even finish what I was saying.”

“You didn’t have to. I told you Zayn and Liam would move if you asked them because they’re your best friends. If I’m your best friend too, why wouldn’t I do the same?” That’s an excellent question. Louis has constantly been told that relationships take time to develop. To a certain extent that is true. You can’t know a person simply by looking at them. Getting to know someone is a process that takes more than a couple of months. But, the reason people bother to get to know each other in the first place is that they want to. The want is always there. Because to a lighter extent, they love each other.

It does not take months or years to realize that you want to keep someone around. It does not take months or years to understand that you respect someone. It doesn’t take months or years to grasp that you love someone. Love is not always obvious. Sometimes it hides in the nooks and crannies that aren’t within reach. It can take time to find the right place to store it, but it’s always there. Louis may not know everything about Harry, but that doesn’t mean he can’t love him. If anything, he thinks, that might make him love him even more.

∞∞∞

Harry is sitting at the dining room table reading through a review he wrote the other day on Us and Us Only’s album Full Flower when Louis walks in. He’s carrying what appears to be a booklet in one hand and a paper bag in the other. Louis sits in the chair directly across from Harry and sets the items on the table before speaking.

“I was at Read It & Eat this afternoon and guess what I stumbled across?” Louis bites his lip to thinly veil a grin as he holds up the little booklet.

“What did you find?” Harry smiles at him. Louis is so endearing.

“A little beauty called Hidden Gems of The Midwest: 75 Places To Visit On Your Adventures. Have you heard of it?” Harry’s eyes widen at the mention of his summer project. Louis knew about it of course, but Harry had never shown it to him. Quite frankly, Harry wasn’t even aware it was in print publication. He’s a bit slower on the punch than usual considering he was taken off guard, but he catches on quick enough.

“Nope. Why’d you pick that up? We literally live in the Midwest.”

“There was something that caught my eye on the bottom of the page.”

“Oh? And what was that?” Harry’s playing dumb and he can see that Louis is waiting for him to break. He wants Harry to admit that it’s his.

“A picture of cornstalks.” Louis stands up and walks over towards Harry in order to show him the image.

“Cornstalks? How fascinating, babe.”

“Yeah… you know I haven’t been able to see any for a few months and it just really brought me back.”

“Are you trying to tell me that the thing you miss the most about Freymont is the corn fields? That’s quite peculiar. I’d think it would be something a bit more interesting than that.” Louis scoffs and attempts to look offended. He’s not doing a great job, but Harry still plays along.

“Are you implying that corn isn’t worth missing, Harold? I’ll let you know,” Harry cuts him off. He can’t do it anymore, Louis is _too_ cute and he needs to kiss him right now. Louis mumbles nonsense and weakly tries to push him off. Harry backs away after a few seconds.

“What were you saying about corn?”

“Why the fuck do I care about corn?” Louis looks astonished. Harry thinks he’s the real winner here.

“You don’t, that’s why I asked you.” Harry giggles then pulls Louis close to him again.

“The pamphlet said Harry Styles so I had to be a supportive boyfriend and buy it.” Louis blushes and hides his face in Harry’s shoulder.

“Oh yeah? I didn’t know you had a boyfriend… sorry man.” Harry starts to walk away towards the door of his apartment. He’s not sure why he thought pretending to leave his own house was a good idea but that’s what he gets for being a little shit. Louis will probably lock him out if he shuts the door behind him and then pretend like he lives there and that he doesn’t know anyone named Harry. It’s happened before. Instead, Louis runs after him and jumps on his back. Harry dips a little at the sudden weight but he doesn’t drop him.

“ _Stooooppp_. I just want to be proud of you and show you how much you mean to me.” It must be opposite day because Louis is never this sweet and clingy.

“Oh no. What did I do wrong?” Harry groans.

“It’s not about what you did wrong. It’s about what you did right.”

“Me? Doing something _right_? Are we still in Chicago or did we flip to some alternate dimension?”

“Harry.” Louis peaks over Harry’s shoulder so that they can see each other's faces.

“What?”

“I love you.” Louis attempts to peck Harry’s lips but ends up somewhere on his cheek. It’s then that Harry sees the booklet in all its glory. Baby Honey is front and center on the cover. It only makes sense considering Harry put it as his number one destination on the list, but now he understands why Louis is so happy. Harry takes the book from his hand and sets him down on the couch before he sits next to Louis.

“Did you read it yet?” Harry glances sideways to gauge Louis’ expression.

“No, I wanted to read it with you.” Louis snuggles in closer to him. They’re both entirely content. They flip through the pages all the way to the back to find number one. At the top of the page, there’s a picture that Harry took of Louis when he was turning the open sign one night. To the side, there’s a large bold #1 and the name Baby Honey. The article on Louis’ first location is only about a page and a half long but it goes into detail about different desserts Louis specializes in and what makes it so special. Harry reads it aloud to Louis.

“...Although the town is small and the shop even smaller, the most wonderful thing I’ve discovered is this tiny little bakery in Freymont, Minnesota.”

“Harry…” Louis has tears in the corners of his eyes and a grin a mile wide on his face. Harry leans in closer; as close as two people can get and whispers gently in Louis’ ear.

“I love you.” 


End file.
